Earth 8 Huntress
by Gabriel Vargas
Summary: This is set in the same AU as my Earth 8 Batman series. It introduces Helena Bertinelli. It's a two part story. Part 1 establishes her relationship with Jason Todd and part 2 is going to be her origin in this AU. Reviews welcome.


Earth 8 Batman # 9

Three Months

Written By Gabriel Vargas

* * *

"Rise and shine Master Jason," Alfred said, pulling back drapes, letting sunlight into the master bedroom of Wayne Manor, the home of Jason Todd. "Surely, 3 o'clock in the afternoon is an adequate time to wake up."

"Leave me alone." Jason said pulling his comforter over his head as his reply muffled through his pillow. There was hoarseness in his voice that was usually associated with a late night of partying.

"How long do you intend on escaping into your personal life, sir?" The long-time English servant of the Wayne family asked, picking up an empty liquor bottle from the floor. "It's been four weeks since you've gone out as Batman; surely the injuries you suffered in your fight with the Joker have healed."

"Just because Bruce only played the part of the playboy doesn't mean I have to." Jason said as Alfred pulled the comforter away from him. "All work and no play…"

"And you have indeed been 'playing' a lot these last few weeks." Alfred went to the night table by Jason's bed, and grabbed a stack of tabloids that he placed there when he walked into the room. "Your exploits have provided the tabloids and paparazzi with much fodder. By the way, Miss Mindy if I recall her name correctly said that she will call you later this evening and was kind enough to let herself out this morning."

"That was nice of Mandy."

"Mindy, sir."

"Whatever." Jason said as he sat up in his bed, rubbed the sleep from his eyes and scratched his bare chest before taking the papers from Alfred. Jason liked to read the headlines he made in the various Gotham tabloids to see which ones were real and which ones were made up.. Among those mornings were:

**Lindsay and Jason Involved in Rehab Sex Scandal. **The headline was accompanied by a picture of Lindsay Lohan with Jason photo shopped into it

**Reports Indicate Paris Received a Conjugal Visit in Jail from the Prince of Gotham…**This headline had a photo of Jason, who was photographed at a charity event, next to a picture of Paris's mug shot.

**Jason Todd: The Son Makes the Father Look Like a Pope! **This was accompanied by a photo taken the previous night, were Jason, holding two drinks in each hand, had his arms around five very attractive blondes.

Jason chuckled as he threw the papers on the ground. Jason had a lot of fun taking up Bruce's mantle as Gotham's, perhaps the country's most eligible bachelor, prolific playboy and favorite paparazzi target. He got up, adjusted his pajama pants and stretched briefly before he fell to the floor and began doing some pushups.

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but you didn't answer my question." Alfred began, "How long to you intend on keeping the Dark Knight off the streets?"

"Why do you have to keep bringing that up?" Jason asked between pushups. "I told you, I don't know? I'm burnt-out; I just can't do that right now, maybe I won't ever be Batman again." Jason stopped doing pushups and sat down on the floor and looked at Alfred. "It's been one failure after another. I'm responsible for the Joker killing those police officers and Mayor Krol. I'm responsible for whatever Red X has done to Tony Zucco. I'm responsible for not taking out Black Mask, which would've kept him from torturing Selina's sister. And I almost got Stephanie killed…"

"Sir, Master Bruce had his share of setbacks." Alfred handed Jason a towel. "And it was because of his resolve that he was able to overcome them."

"Yeah, look where he ended up." Jason said wiping his sweat with the towel, as Alfred gave him a look of disgust. "Sorry, I crossed a line."

"Maybe all of your socializing could be good to you. As you said, Bruce just pretended to be the notorious billionaire playboy." Alfred said, taking the towel from Jason. "At least we get to see Jason Todd instead of just a Bruce Wayne impersonation. Maybe we'll see that trend continue…"

Jason looked at his faithful servant and smiled before standing up. "Where would we be without you Alfred?"

"I shudder at the thought." Alfred answered. "Oh, before I forget, another young lady called while you were sleeping. She left her name and number." Alfred handed him a piece of paper from his pocket.

Jason unfolded it and looked at its contents and his heart skipped a beat as he recognized the name. "Helena?"

* * *

Jason sat at a table in an Upper-East side Gotham coffee house, sipping a cup of coffee, and looking at his watch while he anxiously awaited the arrival of his old friend.

_I wonder what she looks like._ He thought to himself as he scanned the crowd with his blue eyes to see if he recognized anyone familiar, but didn't. He wore a very inconspicuous outfit, a black t-shirt, jeans and black sneakers with a black jacket and a Gotham Knights baseball cap. He heard some whispers from some of the people in the coffee shop that he might be who he is, but for the most part people left him alone since one of Gotham's more reputable tabloids reported that he was currently in Switzerland on a ski holiday with a very famous supermodel.

Jason took another sip of his coffee and looked at his watch, seeing that only a minute had passed by since he last looked at it. _It's been a long time since I've seen you Helena…_

* * *

**Nine Years and Three Months Ago…**

"So she was totally being a prude, so I was like f it, get out of my car and walk your ass home." Tommy O'Toole, son of a Gotham real estate mogul said as he walked into Mr. Leonard's 10th grade History class at North Gotham High. He was followed by Jason Todd and David Collins, who was the son of a Wall Street Broker. Growing up in Crime Alley, Jason thought hanging out with these blue-blood types would've been far-fetched, but he was finding out that being the son of Bruce Wayne made these things effortless.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's what happened." David mocked as the three of them took their seats in the back of the classroom. "You're always trying so hard to be a playa when you aren't the type, right JT?"

"Yeah I guess." Jason said, as he flicked a piece of lint from his sweater.

"So JT, what's going on with you and Kate Kane? Are you guys still hooking up?" Tommy asked as he got his desk ready for class.

"Nah, there are some fundamental differences between us." Jason said as he rested his head on his desk. He didn't get any sleep the night before. With the Scarecrow at large and threatening to unleash his fear gas throughout Gotham, Jason was finding times to rest few and far between.

"What? Is it because of her being Jewish and you being Catholic?" Tommy asked.

"I doubt that Tommy," David replied. "I overheard her mother talking to my mother about them and the way she was going on, it was like she was already expecting grand kids."

"Yeah, I'm sure if it was socially acceptable in this country, Mrs. Kane would already be in negotiations with Bruce to arrange our marriage, but no, religion was never an issue." Jason said closing his eyes. "We're just better off as friends."

"She probably wasn't putting out." David said, as Jason shot his head up and looked at him with a scowl. David continued: "Come on Jason, it's not like you haven't been making your way through the female student body since you became one of us."

_One of us…_ Jason thought, repressing the urge to punch David in the face._ If it wasn't for the need to keep up appearances…_

"Anyway," David began. "Has anyone seen that new girl yet? Word is hot doesn't even begin to describe her." As if on cue, all three adolescents looked at the door and in walked the girl David was just about to talk about, holding her books to her chest. She wore a tight white blouse with a black skirt with a hem line just above her knees. She wore stockings and modest heels. Her raven hair flowed past her shoulders and her skin had a slight natural tan to it. The only thing she accessorized her outfit with was a gold crucifix necklace that rested on the outside of her blouse on her chest. All three teenagers looked at her with veneration as she took a seat in the front of the class.

"Wow DC, you weren't kidding, right JT?" Tommy said as he elbowed Jason, who was still staring vehemently at girl as she sat down.

"Oh man, I know that look." David said. "Kate's already so yesterday's news..."

Jason was oblivious to David's comment. He was shell shocked by the beauty of the girl that just walked into the classroom. As Mr. Leonard walked up to the chalkboard after setting his briefcase down on his desk and began to write the topics of the day's lesson, Jason's attention was still on the girl. She turned her head and looked right at him with her dark brown eyes, flipped her hair over her shoulder with her hand as she gave Jason a big, tooth-filled smile and he couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

**Now…**

That same smile made its way across Jason's face as he saw a statuesque, raven-haired woman walking towards his table in the coffee house, with a big grin on her own face. She wore sneakers, jeans and a white shirt, and the same gold crucifix Jason first saw her with all those years ago around her neck. Jason stood up as she reached the table. They shared an awkward silence, smiling at each other before embracing. Jason, feeling her soft hair and inhaling her perfume, didn't know of any other place he would rather be than right here with her.

Jason pulled away from her and saw tears had escaped from her brown eyes. "I'm sorry, I told myself I wouldn't cry." she said, wiping the tears with her fingers. "I… just can't believe that you're really alive."

"It's alright Helena," Jason said as he guided her to the seat across from his. "I never thought I'd see you again." Jason paused to compose himself, feeling his emotions were about to get to him.

"Part of me really wants to kill you Jason." Helena Bertinelli said she took her seat. "Everyone thought you were dead."

"I know that wasn't fair." Jason said taking his seat across from Helena as he recalled the cover story that he and Alfred fabricated to explain his death to the public when he came back to Gotham two years ago. "Bruce thought it was best to keep the ruse of my death going for my safety while I stayed in Europe, even after those guys who were threatening me were caught. I really don't know what else to say to make you feel better about it… other than I've been dreaming about this moment since I left."

"Your right, it wasn't fair, but I'm grateful that you're alive. A barista came over to their table and took Helena's order and left the two in another awkward silence.

"You know," Jason broke the silence. "I was thinking about that first day we met, your first day at North Gotham."

A smile returned to Helena's face. "Oh yeah, what part were you thinking about."

"When I first saw you walk in Mr. Leonard's history class."

"Well, my most memorable moment of that day was Mrs. Olsen's Spanish class." Helena began to laugh as Jason smiled and shook his head.

* * *

**Then…**

"So Jason, do you have anything planned for tonight?" Tommy O'Toole asked as David Collins walked around the classroom, handing out condoms that he got from the nurse's office.

"I don't know, probably work." Jason said.

"Man Jason, you are really keeping things real huh?" David said as he gave Jason and Tommy his last two condoms before taking a seat in between them. "You have more money than God and you still have a job?"

"Bruce thinks it's good for me to learn the value of hard work or something." Jason said.

"Well, if you decide to have some fun for a change, come over to my place. Bobby Shaw just got a fake ID and is going get us a keg." David said. "Tons of chicks are going to be there. Maybe you can ask that new girl to go with you…"

"We'll see." Jason said, as he shifted his attention to the new girl, who took a seat, two desks in front of Jason. She turned her head, looked at Jason and smiled while Mrs. Olsen began her lesson. She wrote something down on a piece of paper, folded it and when the teacher's back was turned, flicked it onto Jason's desk. Jason unfolded it and looked at the name and phone number written on it and a grin appeared on his face.

As Jason looked at the note, a rambunctious student opened the condom David gave him earlier and flung it at the teacher, hitting her in the back of her head.

"Who did that?" Mrs. Olsen screamed as she surveyed the room. Everyone was completely still and stoic, except for Jason Todd who was smiling from ear to ear. "Jason Todd, get to the principal's office."

"What?" Jason yelled, coming out of his trance. "I didn't do anything."

"You've done nothing but cause trouble since you enrolled at this school."

"But I didn't do anything." Jason stood up from his desk. "If I get sent to the principal's office one more time, it's an automatic 3 day suspension."

"Get out."

"Screw this; I'm not going to get suspended for something I didn't do." Jason reached into his pocket and grabbed the condom David gave him earlier. He took it out of the pouch and flung it at the teacher and hit her square in the eyes.

* * *

**Now… **

"I still can't believe you did that." Helena laughed as the barista returned with her drink.

"I was surprised they only gave me a week suspension for that." Jason said, taking his baseball cap off, resting his forehead in his hand. "So, what brings you back to Gotham? I heard that you moved to Sicily shortly after I went away."

"Yeah, that's because we developed something else in common." Helena said, looking down at the floor.

"I heard about your parents… I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Helena started. "I went to Sicily to live with my cousins until things blew over. I came back to Gotham for a while, but didn't stay long."

"Why?"

"You remember our first date?"

"How could I forget it…" Jason said.

* * *

**Then… **

Jason Todd felt like he was floating on air since mustered the courage to make the phone call to the new transfer student Helena and asked her out. Fear of girls and possible rejection never fazed Jason before. He was building a reputation that many felt would lead to him to surpass his notorious adopted father's playboy image. He was going to meet her at nine o'clock at the Wayne Botanical Gardens, then go out on patrol with Bruce.

The thought of what the date could lead to distracted Jason from his routine and he fell off of the pommel horse and onto the floor of the Batcave gym. He rubbed his shoulder through his Robin tunic and grimaced as he got up and got back on to finish his routine.

From the entrance to the cave, Bruce Wayne watched his adopted son continue to work out as he adjusted the midnight-blue gloves of his costume and pulled the matching cowl over his face, completing his transformation into Batman. Bruce observed that Jason had a carefree demeanor during his workout, one that he hadn't seen since he first made him his crime fighting partner. Even when he grounded the youth for flinging the condom at his Spanish teacher, he wasn't his usual defiant self about the punishment.

"Alfred, have you noticed anything peculiar about Jason's attitude lately?" Bruce asked as Alfred walked past his employer carrying various supplies that he would need to keep up the maintenance of the Batcave.

Alfred looked at the gym and saw Jason handspring from the pommel horse towards the Still Rings, grabbing them with a big smile on his face. "A teenage boy enjoying himself, you are absolutely right Master Bruce that is extremely peculiar. We might consider getting him to a hospital to see if he had been infected with Joker Venom."

Batman gave Alfred a look that showed that he didn't appreciate his servant's sarcasm. "It's just that he has been acting so moody and angry since he found out that Two-Face had killed his father."

"Hey Bruce," Jason yelled as he somersaulted off of the Rings and landed perfectly on the floor. He picked up his yellow cape and green mask from the chair he placed them on and ran up the steps to meet Bruce and Alfred. "Is it cool if I meet you on patrol tonight? I'm meeting this girl beforehand. Don't worry, I won't be late, I promise." Jason ran into the changing room and quickly put on some clothes over his Robin costume. He grabbed his jacket and ran past Alfred and Batman up to the Wayne Manor entrance. "Thanks, bye Alfred."

"I don't remember allowing him permission to go." Batman said.

"Perhaps it's time for you and Master Jason to sit down and have THE talk…" Batman's eyes widened, knowing the kind of talk Alfred was implying, before deciding to ignore him and make his way to the computer console to do his prep work before patrol.

Jason walked underneath the large, illumined arch at the entrance of the Wayne Botanical Gardens. He made sure his blue jacket was zipped up to the top, not just because of the windy night, but to make sure that his Robin costume would stay concealed. Just past the entrance was the girl he had been waiting all day to see, sitting on a park bench.

She wore a red jacket over a green blouse and blue jeans. She reached up to tie her loose black hair in a ponytail to keep it from flying in the wind. She noticed Jason walking up to her and smiled. Jason's heart was racing and he felt like he had a lump in his throat as he panicked to find something perfect to say to her.

"Uh… Hi." he blurted out, thinking how big of an idiot he was.

"Hi yourself…" Helena replied.

"So…" Jason tried to think of something to say, but his mind was clouded with confusion. "Have you been waiting here long?"

"Not really, just about 5 minutes"

"Cool…" Jason was kicking himself for not coming prepared with something to talk about. _Bruce always said failing to prepare is preparing to fail._

"Well, this is certainly not what I was expecting."

"What?" Jason was feeling panic. _Oh god, think of something to salvage this, idiot…_

"Well, we're meeting in a park, in Gotham, after dark and considering your reputation, I thought you'd be a smoother talker."

"Well, uh…"

"It's okay, I mean, these gardens are nice and if you really were what I expected, that would be kinda boring."

"That's good, because you'll find out that the tabloids make up about 95 of the things they publish about me."

"So," Helena reached out and hooked herself onto Jason's arm. "Why don't you start by telling me about the stuff that doesn't make the headlines?"

They spent the next two hours walking the gardens and talking about their lives. Jason told her about growing up in Crime Alley, and fending for himself for years until he was adopted by Bruce Wayne. Helena told Jason that her father was in Waste Management, but he knew that she was holding back that her father Franco was the head of the Big 5 Gotham crime families.

"So we are back to where we started." Helena commented as she noticed the bench she was sitting on earlier. "Why don't we take our date somewhere else?"

"I can't," Jason said as he looked at his watch "it's quarter till eleven and I can't be late for work."

"Work, I still can't believe that the richest kid in Gotham has a job that he has to go to this late at night?"

"I told you its kinda complicated…" Jason never got to finish that thought as three burley men in masks jumped out of the bushes, threw him down and grabbed Helena.

"Jason." Helena screamed as she struggled to free herself from her captors grasp.

"Let her go." Jason said as he sprang to his feet and assumed a fighting position.

"Looks like we gotta hero here," One of the masked men said in an Italian accent as he made his way towards Jason. He swung twice but missed Jason, who dodged them easily. He was about to counter, but he realized that he couldn't engage the thugs without possibly compromising his identity as Robin. The thug swung again and this time, Jason allowed himself to be hit and tumbled into the bushes.

The three men ran towards the rear entrance of the gardens that bordered the Gotham Reservoir. Jason had to wait until they were out of view before discarding his clothes becoming Robin. He placed the green domino mask on his face and perused Helena's kidnappers.

The three men made their way to a black Suburban before three batarangs embedded themselves into the doors. The three looked up and saw Robin the Boy Wonder perched on top of a lamp post.

"Something tells me that the young lady doesn't enjoy your company." Robin said as two of the men pulled out guns and began to open fire on him as the other opened the backdoor of the SUV and threw Helena in it.

Robin leapt from his perch, twisting and turning in the air avoiding the gun fire as he threw two more batarangs and disarmed the men. The Suburban drove off as Robin landed on the pavement. He grabbed two more batarangs and used them to take out the SUV's tires, causing it to lose control and tip over. One man swung at Robin, who grabbed his arm and slammed him hard into the pavement. The other tried sneaking up behind him, but Robin shot his leg out, kicking the man in the knee and breaking it. As that man fell to the pavement, Robin followed with a sweeping kick to the side of the head and knocked him out.

Robin walked over to the SUV and made sure the driver was knocked out before he opened the backdoor to pulled Helena out. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think I'm hurt." She said as she looked over herself after Robin placed her on the ground. "Thank you so much." She said as she wrapped her arms around Robin's neck.

"Not a problem at all." Robin said as he peeled Helena off of him, shot a grapple at the lamppost he was perched on earlier and swung back into the Botanical Gardens.

* * *

**Now… **

"Someone tried to kidnap you again?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, probably to finish the job they started with my parents. Batman saved me." Helena sipped her drink. "Batman wasn't as nice to those guys as Robin was, and nowhere near as cute."

"If I remember it right, Robin messed up those guys bad, so Batman must have killed them."

"Just about… they were probably eating with a straw for a couple of weeks." Helena paused for a moment, then changed the subject to a lighter tone. "That was some first date though. I should've expected stuff like that to happen around you. People told me you were trouble, but I didn't expect it on the first date."

"Like I planned for that to happen…" Jason said in a sarcastic tone as he looked at Helena as both of them smiled.

"I loved that Robin costume. He had such nice legs" Helena said.

"I'm sure that's why he wore it." Jason replied. "I'm glad you came back to make sure I was alright. I would've had to hate to tell Tommy and David how I lost my date to someone wearing short pants."

"Do you still hang out with David and Tommy?" Helena asked.

"Sometimes, I mean, they were freaked out when I came back. Tommy's married and has a kid and David is still playing the field."

"He doesn't make the headlines that you do."

"So, what are you doing now that you're back in Gotham?" Jason asked.

"I'm teaching 3rd grade at Fairbanks Elementary." Helena said. "I'm taking over for a teacher going on maternity leave, and then next year I'll get my own class."

"That's cool. I never knew you wanted to become a teacher."

"Well, technically, you've only known me for three months, so there are some things about me that are still a mystery to you." Helena paused. "Actually its three months and a day if you want to count today."

"Three months? Wow, I never thought …

"… Those three months of your life at sixteen could make such an impact on your life?" Helena finished Jason's sentence.

"Yeah… exactly." Jason couldn't help but remember how much he thought about Helena on his journey after the incident with the Joker.

"So, what took you so long to come back to Gotham?" Helena asked, wanting to change the subject. "I thought it was weird how you came back after Bruce died. You weren't even there for the funeral."

"I was gone for so long; I couldn't handle answering questions about my staged death while mourning my father. I wanted to come back, I really did."

"Did your disappearance have something to do with that job you said you had?"

"What do you mean?"

"That strange job that you had late at night…" Helena began "I mean the last time I saw you… what happened that night when you left me?"

* * *

**Then… **

"Come on," Jason said trying to keep his voice in a whisper while talking on his cell phone on the edge of a bed. "You knew that this was a special night for me, can't you do this by yourself?" Jason paused for a moment while Batman replied. "Big deal, it's just a punch of kiddie porn pervs, why do I have to be there? But…I know I took an oath….alright, I'll be there in like half an hour… Yeah, it's in my book bag and it's never left my sight… sure, we'll have a talk if you insist… okay… How did you know… fine, I'll be there in 5 minutes…"

Jason hung up his phone and sighed as he felt a pair of hands rake their nails across his bare chest and felt a warm body press against his back.

"What was that about?" Helena asked as she woke up and began to kiss Jason's neck.

Jason closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to leave her and the bedroom of the Wayne Foundation penthouse. "I have to go." he said reluctantly.

"Why?" Helena asked as she watched Jason get out of bed and get dressed. "You said that you wouldn't have to work tonight. It's our three month anniversary."

"I didn't think so either, but it's an emergency."

"So you're just going to leave me here?"

"I can't help it."

"Jason, what's really been going on? You've been isolating yourself from me ever since that party on David's boat." Helena got up from the bed, holding the sheet against her body. "You know you can tell me anything, right? Are you doing something illegal? Is it drugs? Do you need money? Let me in, I can help."

Jason stopped buttoning his shirt. "It's complicated."

"Jason, that lingo you were using on the phone usually means you're doing something that's not on the level. Remember, I have a mob boss for a dad."

Jason stroked Helena's cheek with the back of his hand. He leaned down slightly and gave her a deep kiss on the lips, which she returned. "Helena, I want to tell you everything and one day I will, but I can't right now… I made a promise and I have to keep up my end of it, but I will assure you that what I'm doing isn't illegal or hurting anyone. It's the opposite of that. You're going to have to trust me on that. Do you trust me?"

"Always," Helena sobbed. "I guess that growing up in the family like mine, you just get used to the idea that when someone you love goes out on business, they might not come back."

"I promise." Jason kissed her one more time. "I'll come back to you."

* * *

**Now…**

"You never kept that promise." Helena said.

Jason slumped back in his chair as he recalled that evening's events after he left Helena. Batman and Robin broke up the kiddie-porn ring that night, but Robin jumped the gun and engaged the criminals instead of obeying Batman's orders that they wait for the police to back them up. While they were all apprehended, a lot of evidence and property was damaged. Batman reprimanded Robin, saying that kind of recklessness would get him into trouble. He remembered the exchange between them very well.

_You nearly got yourself killed_

Near misses count.

What, do you think we're doing here, playing some game?

Of course, all of life is a game.

Shortly after that is when Jason ran away to find his mother and found she was helping the Joker steal medical supplies. "I'm sorry Helena. That was the night I found out that I had to go into hiding."

"I remember talking to Rena Smith a couple of days after everyone in school found out you had died." Rena was the first girlfriend Jason had when he first transferred to North Gotham, before he started dating Kate Kane. "She said she saw you walking around Crime Alley a couple of days after our anniversary."

"She was probably mistaken." Jason remembered that Rena used to volunteer at a homeless shelter there on weekends.

"According to your story, you should've been out of the country by then. It was a week later that we found out you were dead."

"What are you trying to say Helena?"

"I just want to know what happened to you." Helena told him.

"You know what happened to me."

Jason got up and began to walk away before Helena grabbed his arm. "I'm not accusing you of anything. It's just that something wasn't right when you left me that night. I was so worried when no one saw you for days afterwards. Whatever happened, you don't ever have to hide it from me."

"I told you what happened; you're just reading things into it." Jason said. "Look, I'm real sorry that you had to go through all of that grieving, but I couldn't help what happened to me."

"It's just that, after you 'died', I couldn't let go," Helena began, wiping tears from her eyes. "And when you popped up, alive after all of those years, I just thought that maybe my instincts were right…I really missed you."

"I missed you too." Jason placed Helena's hand into his and wiped away a tear from her eye. He caressed her cheek and softly brought her to his lips and kissed her gently, which she returned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Alfred pull up in the black Bentley to pick him up.

Jason broke off the kissed and said: "I have to get home and get ready for a charity event in Gateway City, if you want to come…"

"I'd love to but I can't." Helena interrupted. "I have to start making lesson plans, but when you get back, I'd like to go out sometime."

"Absolutely." Jason said as they both got up and hugged each other before going their separate ways.

* * *

**Then… **

Helena stepped off of the ramp that led up to the yacht that was owned by the family of David Collins. He was holding two cups of beer in her hand and began to walk towards the benches that lined the docks of Roger's Yacht Basin. She saw her boyfriend, Jason Todd, leaning against the railing, seemingly deep in thought.

As she walked behind him, Jason spun around and bumped into Helena, causing her to drop the drinks. They spilled over Jason's black Doc Martins and Helena's heels, giving them the stench of alcohol.

"I'm sorry, I was just surprised." Jason said.

"It's okay. I was just worried about you, you just ran off." Helena walked over and gave Jason a hug and rested her head on his chest. "You've been so distant all night… is something wrong?"

"I just have a lot of things on my mind." Jason said as he ran his fingers through Helena's hair.

"Anything you want to share?"

"I'm just mad at the world. It seems like the good people always suffer and the bad people are always coming out on top and no one is doing anything about it."

"Isn't that why you say that Gotham needs Batman and Robin?"

"Yeah, but sometimes I think they've sold out… I mean they're taking it upon themselves to go out and deal with the criminals in Gotham because a corrupt and incompetent police force has failed the people. All they do is beat up the bad guys, leave them for the police and with our revolving door prison system; they are out on the street like nothing ever happened. That's not justice. What's the point of being a vigilante if they won't do what's necessary to save Gotham? The only way to get rid of the cancer that infects Gotham is to cut it out and destroy the infected tissue."

"What are you trying to say?" Helena picked her head up and looked into Jason's eyes.

"I don't know..." Jason answered.

"You've been so angry lately. I'm starting to worry about you. You've said that you and Bruce have been arguing, I'm sure that's just typical father/son stuff that will blow over and the world will always be the way it is. My advice is to stop worrying about it and enjoy yourself, your health, your life and your beautiful Italian girlfriend."

"Italian girlfriend... When did I get manage to get one of those?"

"If you hadn't been so preoccupied with all of that anger, you would've realized you had one for the last six weeks." Helena raised her head and puckered her lips and Jason met her halfway. Their kiss was interrupted by a bright flash bulb.

"Fing paparazzi…" Jason yelled as he began to chase the photographer down the dock.

"Jason." Helena screamed after him.

* * *

**Now…**

Helena she looked out of the window of her apartment as it began to rain as her mind came back from her memory. She sighed as she looked at the framed photo in her hand of her and Jason kissing on the docks of the Rogers Yacht Basin over nine years ago.

She remembered going to Wayne Manor shortly after rumors of Jason's death were leaked to the public. She wanted to talk to Bruce, but he wasn't there and struck up a conversation with the butler instead.

He let her sit in Jason's room and there, in Jason's book bag, she found a gift wrapped package and in it was the picture. She figured that Jason must have paid that photographer for the picture and meant to give it to her as a gift. He left the receipt for the frame in the bag and it was dated for the day after their three month anniversary.

She placed the photo back on her desk, right next to one of her and her mother which was taken when she was eight years old. She looked at that picture every time she thought about her family, which was taken from her in a mob hit. She tried to concentrate on making up the lesson plans for her class, but couldn't concentrate.

Helena went to her bedroom. She bent down next to a full length mirror, grabbed it from underneath and pulled up. The mirror was placed on tracks and revealed a secret closet behind it that contained a black body suit, with a dark purple V-shaped design in the center. To the left of the suit were purple boots and a belt with pouches that contained small arrows for a crossbow that was suspended above a stylized domino mask, above the suit. On the right side was a full length purple cape.

"Something happened to you Jason," Helena said to herself as she reached up and grabbed the crossbow. "Something happened and I'm going to find out what and make whoever is responsible pay."

**_The End._**


End file.
